Holbrook line: Edward Hawes, Immigrant

I;m writing this post more as a plea for help than as an imparter of information  Edmund Hawes is a most confusing man.  There may have been two, or even three, Edmund Hawes, so you can understand my confusion, I hope.  The Edmund Hawes who interests us in the one who died in Dedham,Norfolk, Massachusetts on June 28, 1686,  It's frequently stated that he was buried in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts but this must have been a different Edmund Hawes.  Ours was consistently in Dedham and not in Yarmouth.  There are records in existence that, when looked at side by side, show Hawes to have been in both localities at the same time.  The evidence is pretty clear that our Edmund came to Dedham and stayed there. 

So, we don't know the age or birthdate or parents of our Edmund, for sure.  It is believed that he came from Solhull, Warwickshire, England and that his parents may have been Edmund Hawes and Jane Porter.  We do know he married Eleanor Lombard (otherwise know as Eliony Lumber) in 1648 in Dedham.  Edmund may have been a cutler and he was surely a farmer.  He signed petitions regarding town limits and agreements with native Americans (dispute as to whether or not Indians had actually sold the land, apparently.  It was a question to be debated for the next two hundred or so years, all across the frontier as the frontier moved west),

We know that Edmund and Eleanor had at least nine children.  We know Edmund was a prosperous farmer, which is a good thing, given the size of his family.  The author of a speech presented in 1895 to the "Genealogical and Biographical Society of New York City" believed that Edmund was a good Puritan, based on the Biblical names of each of the children.  He referred to finding Edmund's name on tax rates, and on land transactions, and as a woodreeve and a fence viewer.  A woodreeve is defined as being the overseer of a forest, and a fence viewer required landowners to keep their fences in good condition.  It is likely that Hawes also had to participate in some sort of militia, whether it was a training band or something more informal. 

Edward Hawes was the salt of the earth kind of guy, I think.  He didn't get into trouble with the law, he paid his taxes and he participated in the town meetings, signing petitions as needed.  He was likely less younger then 50 when he died, and Eleanor must have had quite a time with 9 young ones, born from 1648 to probably close to the time Edward died.  Eleanor died about four years later, but I don't know what became of the children.  Neither have I found a will or administration papers. 

This isn't much of a sketch for an ancestor who could well have thousands of descendants.  It tells the bare minimum.  The only hint we have that he could read or write is that he signed his name on the petition papers previously mentioned, but he left us a legacy never the less.  He was a hard working, God fearing man and we can honor him by trying to learn more about him.

The line of descent is

Edward Hawes-Eleanor Lombard
Nathaniel Hawes-Sarah Newell
Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants